Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Germany, you would:
Health
be 62.7% less likely to be obese
In Germany, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
be 34.1% less likely to die by suicide
Germany has a suicide rate of 12.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 19.5 years less
In Germany, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024.
see 97.5% less spent on your healthcare
Germany spends $8,826 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 96.7% fewer doctors per person
Germany has 45.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 54.5% less access to essential health services
Germany scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Germany, 14.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 98.1% less money
Germany has a GDP per capita of $60,496 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.9 times more children
In Germany, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 60.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Germany, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, 242.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Germany, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, on the other hand, 43.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Germany, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 22% of people on average (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 69.8% less likely to have internet access
In Germany, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 50.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Germany, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 50% of people on average (81% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.4% less on healthcare
Germany spends 12.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 8.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Germany, road accidents kill 3.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 77.9% less strain on fresh water
Germany withdraws 35% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 98.1% less home broadband
Germany has 45.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 97.8% less electricity
Germany uses 6,109 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.1% less CO2
Germany emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Germany, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Germany vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Germany? See an in-depth size comparison.